Victoria News | Local Breaking | CTV News Vancouver Island

Camosun to resume in-class instruction for some students

Camosun College has been offering classes exclusively online for roughly two months due to COVID-19: (CTV News)

SHARE

VICTORIA --
For the past two months, Camosun College has only been offering courses online due to COVID-19. But, that may soon change.

A small group of students studying things like healthcare and the trades are being allowed to return to campus this summer to finish the practical portion of their winter courses, something they were unable to complete due to the pandemic.

The college says that it will be taking a cautious approach to reopening and is still working on the details.

“I know the instructors and the students are waiting to get back to campus. A lot of [instruction] has to be done face-to-face because of the nature of the course and the equipment that is required,” said Camosun College president, Sherri Bell.

“So, at the present time we are looking at the provincial health and safety guidelines and ensuring that if we do bring students back, that we’ve done everything we can to protect the students and our employees.”

The post-secondary institution says that it is looking at all reopening guidelines from WorkSafe BC, the provincial health office and the B.C. government.

A statement from Camosun’s latest update states, “No programs will return to campus without the support of their Dean and the express written approval of the Vice President of Education. Students who come on campus to complete courses are expected to leave immediately afterwards.”

Bell says that any courses that can be done online will stay online until it is safe to resume regular classes.

At Camosun College’s campuses, things like the library, cafeterias and the bookstore will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Childcare services are also closed at this time, but the college says that it will remain in contact with parents as things change.

Enrollment for Camosun’s spring and summer courses are only down about 10 per cent, according to Bell. Right now, it is too early to tell what fall enrollment numbers will look like.

“We are a really close community, a really hands on institution, and we miss seeing people on campus,” said Bell.

“We look forward to having people back.”

You can find the most up to date information on Camosun College's website.